FR3050349A1 - METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PERMANENT INTERNET ACCESS IN ALL OF THE SPACES OF AN URBAN TRANSPORT NETWORK OF THE OMNIBUS TYPE - Google Patents

Abstract

The on-board wireless communication router (260) transmits the request according to the following routing rules: - in the case of availability of the only permanent low-speed wireless link (PL), the on-board communication router (260) transmits the request to the embedded cache server (280) in the vehicle (20) to serve the response to the request if it is available, and in case of unavailability of the response, the on-board router (260) is able to fetch the answer to the request directly over the Internet (800) via the permanent low-speed wireless link (PL) and the central communication router (360) on the ground, - in case of availability of the additional high-speed (HDL) point-to-point wireless link embedded communication router (260) transmits the request to the central cache server (380) implanted on the ground via the additional one-time high speed (HDL) wireless link to serve the response to the request if it is said available in the central cache server (380) on the ground, and in case of unavailability of the response, the onboard communication router (260) is able to fetch the response to the request directly on the Internet (800) via the link additional high-speed point-to-point wireless (HDL) and the central communication router (360) on the ground.

Description

The present invention relates to permanent Internet access in all areas of an urban transport network type omnibus.

It finds a general application in the permanent Internet access offered to a user in mobility in all the spaces of a transport network, and more particularly in the routing of an Internet request from a terminal of communication of a user traveling in a vehicle traveling between several stopping stations.

Here, the term "transport space" means all the spaces of a transport network in which the users may be, namely vehicles as well as accesses, stations, exchange rooms, corridors, docks, commercial areas, technical areas of the stations.

Here is meant by "users" all people who may wish to connect to the Internet, namely both travelers and staff of the transport network operator.

Here, the term "omnibus-type urban transport" means any mode of urban and peri-urban transport whose vehicles make regular stops at predetermined fixed stations, whose inter-station distances allow relatively frequent stops with times. parking for the exchange of relatively short travelers. For example, modes of transport such as metro, bus, tramway and RER (acronym for Réseau Express Régional) are omnibus urban transport.

Here is meant by "ground-edge connection" all types of connection for the exchange of data between the vehicles ("on board") and the communication system of the transport network (called "the ground").

[0007] Today the Internet access offered to a traveler in mobility in an urban transport network such as the metro or the like is generally made by telecom operators through 3G / 4G cellular type wireless communication networks. In practice, Internet access is based on the availability of access to the 3G / 4G communication network via specific cellular coverage, especially underground. Telecommunication links capable of supporting large data traffic make it possible to connect the cells to the heart of the communication network to provide Internet access and to serve all users. The user benefits here from the continuity of mobile Internet access through his mobile subscription also accessible in the transport network. However, the level of service is not sufficient in terms of bit rate per user because it is limited to the capacity of the cellular network deployed in the transport infrastructure. In addition, the deployment of the underground cellular cover is expensive because it requires the use of radio frequency repeaters (commonly called "base station" in English) in each station or group of some stations, which limits its deployment.

[0008] In addition to telecom operators, some transport operators also provide Internet access via Wi-Fi wireless connectivity to travelers who are in the stations and mobile in the vehicles. In practice, the Internet is accessible to users on the ground and in the stationary vehicle via a Wi-Fi ground-to-board link or via a 4G / LTE ground-to-board link. The disadvantage of such a solution lies in the fact that the rate of the ground-edge connection remains insufficient to meet the Internet needs of a large number of users and that the maintenance of the connection when the traveler goes down / up from the vehicle is not necessarily insured because it is most often two disjoint communication networks. As a result, the level of service is low and the Internet activity of the user can be interrupted during the rise / fall of the traveler in the vehicle.

In order to overcome the disadvantages of existing solutions, the object of the invention is, according to a first aspect, to propose a routing system for an Internet request originating from a communication terminal of a user traveling in a vehicle. bus type running between several stopping stations.

According to a general definition of the invention, the routing system is characterized in that it comprises: a wireless communication network implanted on the ground, intended for users and equipped with a central communication router implanted on the ground ; - A wireless communication network embedded in the vehicle for users and equipped with a communication router embedded in the vehicle; a plurality of connection points distributed on the ground and a plurality of connection points distributed in the vehicle and each capable of establishing a low-speed permanent link between the wireless edge communication network and the ground wireless communication network; at least one on-vehicle communication unit and at least one station-wide communication unit capable of establishing with each other an additional high-speed point link between the on-board wireless communication network and the ground wireless communication network; at least one central cache server on the ground and at least one cache server embedded in the vehicle; and in that depending on the timing of the sending of the request, the on-board wireless communication router transmits the request according to the following routing rules: - in case of availability of the only fixed low-speed wireless link established between the on-board wireless communication network and the ground wireless communication network, the on-board wireless communication router transmits the request to the cache server embedded in the vehicle to serve the response to the request if it is available, and in case of non-availability of the response, the on-board router is able to fetch the answer to the request directly on the Internet via the permanent low-speed wireless link and the ground-based central communication router, - in case of availability of the link without additional high-speed point-to-point wire between the wireless edge communication network and the ground wireless communication network, the communication router emb arched transmits the request to the ground-based central cache server via the additional high-speed point-to-point wireless link established between the wireless edge communication network and the ground wireless communication network to serve the response to the request if it is available in the central cache server on the ground, and in the event of non-availability of the response, the on-board communication router is able to fetch the answer to the request directly on the Internet via the additional high speed additional wireless link and the router central communication floor.

Very advantageously, the routing system according to the invention allows a user of an urban bus network to have access to the Internet not only permanently (continuity of Internet access service to ground and in the vehicle and anywhere in the transport network thanks to the permanent low-speed ground-to-board link) but also with a better level of Internet access service compared to cellular and / or Wi-Fi solutions. -Fi currently deployed thanks to the additional high-speed ground-edge link established in synergy with the cache servers distributed on the ground and in the vehicles and whose update is carried out at the frequency of stops of the vehicles in station via the additional high-speed ground-to-board link.

In addition, the use of the additional high-speed point-to-point wireless link ensures the refreshing of the on-board cache servers, which makes it possible to relieve the use of the permanent low-speed ground-edge link and by way of consequently, to optimize the quantity of data to be transmitted by this permanent link and to increase the quality of service felt by the user.

As a result, the user can obtain answers to his Internet requests with an excellent level of service during his trip with his mobile terminal (for example a smartphone or a tablet) on the wireless communication network (Wi -Fi) deployed throughout the transport space (vehicles and station spaces) by the transport operator.

According to some embodiments, the routing system further comprises one or more of the following characteristics, taken separately or in any technically possible combination: the additional high-speed point-to-point wireless link is established automatically between the on-board wireless communication network and the ground wireless communication network when said vehicle is stationary or substantially stationary; the routing system further comprises a central controller implanted on the ground and responsible for analyzing the mobility of the user in the transport space and said central controller is clean when the user climbs or descends in the vehicle to connect the user's terminal to the appropriate wireless communication network to maintain a permanent wireless connection and without altering the user experience; - The routing system further comprises an authentication system with which the user terminal connects and authenticates one or more times according to its presence, attendance or use of the transport space; the routing system further comprises a mechanism for distributing addresses distinct from the user terminal as a function of the connection points on which it is hooked; the routing system further comprises a central cache server content processing module comprising: an Internet data analysis algorithm permanently analyzing and labeling the Internet data belonging to the group formed by elements / information external to the transport system, social networks, predefined websites, VOD content, according to their popularity; and o an engine for updating the content of the central cache server according to the result of the analysis algorithm; (The system according to the invention thus makes it possible to optimize the quantity of data to be transmitted by storing in buffer (cache) the most requested contents) - the embedded cache server is updated when the vehicle is at the same time. stop at station or substantially at a standstill; the on-board cache server of each vehicle in circulation is updated independently of the other vehicles in circulation in the transport space; the routing system further comprises a mechanism for refreshing a part of the contents of the on-board cache server comprising: a module for packaging the data to produce a succession of data packets at the rate of the vehicle's traffic, said packets of data containing data for refreshing part of the content of the on-board cache server at the next stopping of the vehicle in the station, the data packets being produced according to at least one criterion belonging to the group formed by elements / information relating to the system of transport, and the current state of the embedded cache, and o a storage module for receiving the data packets thus produced and make them available to the on-board cache server when the vehicle is stationary or substantially at the stopping at the station via the additional point and high speed link. the module for packaging the data of the mechanism for updating a part of the contents of the embedded cache is able to enrich the contents of the data packets from data relating to the user.

The invention also relates to a second aspect a routing method implemented by the routing system according to the invention.

Finally, the invention relates, according to a third aspect, a computer program product stored on storage means and comprising a set of instructions loadable in the memory of a computer, characterized in that, when said set of instructions is executed on said computer, the computer program product implements the method according to the invention.

Other advantages and features of the invention will appear on examining the description and drawings in which: - Figure 1 shows schematically the overall architecture of the equipment allowing access to the Internet by users in all points of the transport space according to the invention; FIG. 2 represents the principle of cumulation of the two types of ground-to-edge links in accordance with the invention; FIG. 3 diagrammatically represents the internal architecture of the onboard vehicle system according to the invention; FIG. 4 schematically represents the internal architecture of the central system according to the invention; FIG. 5 diagrammatically represents the different means of optimizing the quantity of data to be transmitted according to the invention; FIG. 6 schematically represents the process of updating the central cache in accordance with the invention; FIG. 7 diagrammatically represents the process of updating each embedded cache as determined by the module for managing the contents of the embedded caches in accordance with the invention; - Figure 8 schematically shows the routing system of an Internet request formulated by a user located in a vehicle according to the invention; FIG. 9 diagrammatically represents the routing system of an Internet request formulated by a station user in accordance with the invention; FIG. 10 diagrammatically represents the step of authenticating the user on the Wi-Fi network according to the invention; and. - Figure 11 schematically shows the operation roaming and management of Wi-Fi terminals for users according to the invention.

The drawings include, for the most part, elements of a certain character. They can therefore not only serve to better understand the description, but also contribute to the definition of the invention, if any.

The following description is given solely by way of example in a case of non-limiting application to a metro type transport network.

Figure 1 shows the general architecture of the communication network for access to the Internet users at all points of the transport space (vehicles 20 and 10 station). Figure 1 represents a case of urban transport of the rail-type omnibus type and more specifically subway underground. The transport network comprises a railway track 80, stations 10, two of which are represented and individualized at S1 and S2, interstations 30 of which three are shown and vehicles 20, only one of which is shown. By station 10, we mean all the different transport spaces other than the vehicles 20, namely including accesses, platforms, corridors, exchange rooms, technical areas and commercial areas. By vehicle 20, we mean the subway train consists of several cars, here five. The vehicle 20 is here shown unrealistically partly inter-station 30 and station 10, to include the two types of ground-edge links, the combination of which allows the quality of Internet access service provided to users.

The general architecture of the communication network is based on the association of two distinct wireless communication networks. The first wireless communication network is called "ground network" 35. It connects all the spaces except vehicles 20, backed by a central system 300. The second wireless communication network is called "onboard network" 25, and corresponds to the network embedded in the vehicles 20.

The architecture of the central system 300 will be detailed with reference to FIG. 4. The central system 300 is deployed in a data center (also called "Data Center" in English) and connected to the rest of the infrastructure by a communications network, usually called dorsal (also called backbone in English) 400 consisting of optical fibers and copper cables for connecting all equipment via switches 420. The switches 420 are connected to each of the elements of the deployed system " on the ground ", as opposed to the elements embedded in the vehicles 20. Thus, the switches 420 are connected by an Ethernet link 410 of the order of 1 to 10 Gbps through an optical interface or a copper interface at each Wi-Fi access point 140, at each of the modems 120 and at each of the transmission equipment 160. The Wi-Fi access points 140 are dedicated to the connection users to the communication network of the transmission system operator and are located exclusively in station 10.

In order to allow the user access to the communication network of the transmission network operator in all places, there are also embedded Wi-Fi access points 240 in the vehicles 20. The user connects its terminal 700 via a radio link 150 to the Wi-Fi access points available in all points of the transport space: Wi-Fi access points 140 in the on-board station 10 and Wi-Fi access point 240. 120 modems are connected to at least one antenna 130 installed in the inter-station transport space 30 and at a location determined to best cover the traffic area of the vehicle 20 on the track 80. The modems 220 are connected to less an antenna 221 installed outside the vehicle 20 at a determined location to better capture the radio signal transmitted by the antennas 130. A vehicle 20 is equipped with at least two modems 220 advantageously installed in the cars of end. The modems 120, 220 and the antennas 130 and 221 are dedicated to the "ground-to-board connection", that is to say to the connection of the vehicles 20 to the communication network of the transmission system operator and thus ensure the permanence of a low-speed link PL station 10 as inter-station 30.

An ad hoc link, additional, and high speed HDL between the vehicle 20 and the communication network of the transport network operator is performed during the connection between the transmission equipment 160 in the station 10 and the on-board transmission equipment 230 corresponding to the vehicle 20.

The ground equipment 160 and the onboard equipment 230 are WiGig type transmission equipment (802.11 ad) and are only able to establish a connection for exchanging data when they are located at a short distance. one of the other. This occurs when the vehicle 20 is in station 10, whether it is completely stopped or not. Indeed, the connection can be established when the vehicle 20 is in braking phase at the station entrance 10 even if it is not yet fully immobilized as soon as the proximity between the two transmission equipment 160 and 230 the allows. Similarly, the connection may last at the time of the departure of the vehicle 20 from the station 10 until the maximum connection distance is exceeded. Therefore, it is considered that the HDL high-speed point and additional link is made when the vehicle 20 is stationary at station 10 or substantially at a standstill.

The network board 25 consists of an embedded system 200 connected to the entire infrastructure embedded on the backbone (or backbone in English) 210, which connects the onboard modems 220, access points Wi Embedded fi-240 240 located in vehicles 20, and 230 embedded transmission equipment. The architecture relating to embedded system 200 will be detailed with regard to Figure 3.

We now refer to Figure 2 which shows the principle of accumulation of two types of ground-edge wireless links over time. Firstly, the low-speed permanent link PL consists, for example, of an electromagnetic wave radio link according to the 802.11 n standard in the 5.2 Ghz band and enables data exchange between the vehicle 20 and the low-speed ground network. the order of 40 to 120 Mbps. This low-speed permanent link PL is represented by the shaded area. Secondly, the HDL high-speed point link consists, for example, of an 802.11 ad standard electromagnetic wave radio link in the 60Ghz band. It allows a data exchange between the on-board network 25 and the high-speed network 35 of the order of 1 to 2 Gbps. The HDL high-speed point link is represented by the vertical bars. This HDL high-speed point link occurs when the vehicle 20 (not shown) is stationary or substantially stationary at each station Sn, indicated on the abscissa axis, which corresponds to the flow of time t.

The high-speed point link HDL Sn station can be implemented in all types of transport type omnibus (subway, bus, tram, RER), when parking times are relatively short (between 10 and 60 seconds ), relatively frequent stops and inter-station travel times of the order of a multiple of the parking time.

By way of example, FIG. 2 illustrates the case of a vehicle 20 whose parking times at the various stations Sn are variable from one station 10 to the other, as is apparent from the difference in width. bars at each station 10, and whose inter-station travel times 30 vary between five times the average parking time between stations S2 and S3 and ten times the average parking time between stations S4 and S5.

The amount of data that can be exchanged resulting from the combination of the two ground-edge links for a vehicle path 20 is represented by the dashed curve superimposed on the graph. The bit rates of the HDL link, represented by the vertical bars, also called "bursts" in English, are used to refresh an embedded cache system 280 with dynamic contents, the architecture of which is shown in FIG. Embedded 280 makes it possible to serve users' Internet requests in priority without going through the permanent low-speed ground-edge link PL. It is then an access to Internet content Off-Line ', whose operating principle is explained in Figure 9.

Referring now to Figure 3 which details the internal architecture of the embedded system 200. The embedded system 200 conventionally comprises an internal switch 250, which allows to connect via a copper interface 251 and an optical interface 252 all the onboard dorsal 210 embedded equipment, an internal router 260 and an anti-fire module, also called "firewall" in English 270. The embedded system 200 specific to the routing system of an Internet request object of the present invention comprises in in addition to an embedded cache module 280.

The embedded cache module 280 contributes to improving the quality of the Internet access service delivered to the user by allowing better management of the amount of data to be transferred on the ground-edge link. The on-board cache module 280 stores Internet data identified as relevant and having to be of a nature to answer a large part of the requests of the users aboard the vehicle 20. When the response to the request of the user located in a vehicle 20n is stored well in the onboard cache 280n of this vehicle 20n, the user quickly gets the answer via an access "Off-line".

When the response to the request of the user is not present in the onboard cache 280n of the vehicle 20n in which the user is located, the request is then via the permanent link PL or additional HDL. Due to the presence of most of the responses to the queries in the 280n embedded cache, the low-speed permanent link PL is requested more rarely and its low bit rate is then sufficient to preserve the quality of the service from the point of view of the user. . The management of the contents of the onboard cache 280 of each vehicle 20 is described with regard to FIG. 7.

Referring now to Figure 4 which details the internal architecture of the central system 300. The central system 300 conventionally includes any data center connected to the Internet a security module 320, at least one anti-virus module. fire (firewall) 370, at least one router 360, at least one switch 350 and a local Ethernet network 330 connecting the various modules of the central system 300 and an access to the Internet network 800. The security module 320 checks the requests to to ensure the appropriate use of the Internet in the public space and to prohibit access to content not authorized by the regulations in force. The central system 300 specific to the routing system of an Internet request object of the present invention further comprises a management module 310 Wi-Fi access points 140 station 10 and embedded 240, a module "access portal 340, a central cache module 380, a management module 390 of the contents of the embedded caches 280 and a module for optimizing the quantity of data to be transmitted 600.

The Wi-Fi terminal management module 310 serves to ensure the continuity of the Internet access service offered to users in the entirety of the transport space comprising all the stations 10 of the network of transport considered and all the vehicles 20 in circulation in the transport space, thanks to the known practice of roaming still called "roaming" in English. The operation of the Wi-Fi terminal management module 310 will be detailed with reference to FIG. 10. The function of the "access portal" module 340 is to control and identify the users. The authentication is performed only once by the user and by access to the transport space. It allows the user's connection to the Internet access service. This service is maintained throughout the duration of the presence of the user in the transport space. The function of the optimization module 600 is to maximize the capacity of the bit rate, which is necessarily limited by acting on the quantity of data to be transmitted. Its operation will be detailed with regard to FIG. 5. The central cache module 380 is a server for storing dynamic content and video on demand (also called VOD for Video on Demand). The operation of the central cache module 380 and the determination of its content will be exposed with reference to FIG. 6. The module for managing the contents of the embedded caches 390 serves to package the files for refreshing the contents of each cache server. embedded 280, the operation of the content management module 390 embedded cache will be detailed with reference to Figure 7.

Reference is now made to Figure 5 which exposes the optimization means 600 of the amount of data to be transmitted on the ground-edge link low PL rate. The purpose of the routing system of an Internet request described is to provide the user with a high quality of service. This perceived high quality of service is achieved by optimizing the amount of data to be transmitted on the permanent low-speed ground-edge link PL. The available network rate to meet the needs of all the users located in a vehicle 20 is that which results from the sum of the bit rate of the low speed permanent link PL and the bit rate of the high speed bit link HDL.

The optimization of the amount of data to be transmitted is based on a suitable processing of Internet requests issued by the users present in the vehicle 20 which does not affect the user experience (latency, quality, etc.). The means for optimizing the quantity of data to be transmitted are based on three distinct technical functions, which are caching 610, video compression 620 and downloading segmentation 630. Advantageously, these three functions are used cumulatively and combined.

The caching 610 is based on the existence of the embedded system 200 in the vehicle 20. Due to the presence of the embedded cache 280, a large number of Internet requests from users present on board the vehicle 20 finds their answer in the embedded cache 280 and no longer passes through the low-speed permanent link PL. This automatically alleviates the amount of data to be transmitted and automatically frees up space for transmitting data from other requests.

The reduction of the amount of data to be transmitted is directly dependent on the storage capacity of the embedded cache 280 and the adequacy of the contents of the embedded cache 280 to the requests of the users. The size of the embedded cache servers 280 may be adapted for a bus system. Preferably, the storage capacity of the on-board cache server 280 corresponds to a capacity of between 100 and 1000 times the amount of data that the system is able to transmit during station shutdown.

The content of the data stored in the embedded cache 280 is determined by the central system 300 as a function of the contents of the central cache 380 and the content management module 390. The determination of the content of the central cache 380 will be better understood with regard to of Figure 6. The determination of the role of the contents management module 390 will be better understood with regard to Figure 7.

The content management module 390 includes a function of refreshing the contents of each embedded cache 280. The content of these refreshes is defined to best exploit the bursts of flow of the additional point link high speed HDL at the time of accumulation with the permanent link PL, when the vehicle 20 is stationary at station 10 or substantially at a standstill.

The video compression 620 is to adapt in real time the size of the multimedia content to the user's situation to reduce the amount of data to be transmitted. The video compression function 620 is implemented in the central system 300. The data compression rate is adapted according to various criteria such as the terminal 700 from which the user's request emanates (screen size and resolution), the status 710 of the user (premium offer), and the affluence 720, which corresponds to the number of users to be used in the vehicle 20.

The segmentation of the download 630 is to deliver just the right amount of data needed to the terminal 700 of the user. This makes it possible to limit the 'waste' of data when a content, for example a video, is not read in full. The downloading segmentation function 630 is implemented on central servers 300.

Reference is now made to FIG. 6 which sets out the criteria for selecting the content and for updating the content of the central cache 380. The contents of the central cache 380 are updated by means of an update module. 383, which operates continuously and analyzes the relevance of the various existing contents to assess the desirability of storing them in the central cache 380. The update module 383 is based on a data analysis algorithm 397 and a search engine. Update 399. The data analysis algorithm 397 combines two kinds of data: the source content differences 381 and the data relating to the analysis of the popularity of these contents 385.

The various sources of content 381 are mainly social networks 382, some predefined websites 384 identified as relevant because always popular with users (examples of continuous information site, weather report, sports results etc.), related content external events 386 such as news reports on disruption, events, etc., and content from video-on-demand providers 388.

The data relating to the analysis of the popularity of these contents 385 come from both external sources 387 to the transport network, some companies providing a ranking of hits popularity of Internet content in near real time, 389. In fact, the use of the Internet may be specific in the context of omnibus-type transmission networks. That is why the popularity hits identified by the external source 387 must be confronted with the requests actually made by the users of the transport network. These requests are all transmitted in real time to this module of knowledge of internal requests to the network 389. The update engine 399 copies in the central cache 380 the Internet data identified by the algorithm 397.

Reference is now made to FIG. 7, which schematizes the operation of the content management module 390 of each embedded cache 280. The content management module 390 of each embedded cache 280 implements a complex packetization process. (still called "packaging" in English). The content management module 390 comprises modules for constituting the data packets 392 and a module for depositing the data packets 394.

The modules for constituting the data packets 392 are based on an algorithm 393 and are equal in number to the number of embedded caches 280 in circulation on the transport network, n instances of modules for constituting data packets 392 are running. therefore in parallel, relying on algorithm 393.

Each data packet 391 thus constituted by a module constituting data packets 392 contains all the elements necessary for the refresh of the contents of each embedded cache 280. These data packets 391 are intended to be recovered by the caches. 280 when the vehicle 20 is connected to the HDL high-speed point link in station 10. These data packets 391 therefore closely depend on each vehicle 20 to which they are intended and more particularly the existing content 395 of the onboard cache 280 identified by the identifier of the vehicle 20 in which it is located and the position of the vehicle 20 in the transport system with the data relating to the transport system 396.

The data of the transport system 396 relates to the position of the vehicle 20, the topology of the network, the travel time of the next interstation 30 and the estimated parking time at the next station 10. The travel time of the next inter-station 30 is a direct constraint on the time available for the packet building module 392 to determine the contents of the packets. The estimated parking time at the next station 10 is a direct constraint on the volume of data that can be exchanged via the high-speed point link HDL. These data relating to the transport system 396 are therefore necessarily taken into consideration by the algorithm 393 when constituting the data packets 391.

The constitution of the data packets 391 by the package constitution module 392 can also be influenced by the knowledge of data relating to the users 398, such as their origin and destination, their position and their count, or even their profile.

The deposition module 394 of the data packets 391 receives all the data packets 391 constituted by the modules constituting the packets 392. Each data packet 391 is identified as being intended for an identified onboard cache 280 located in the vehicle. 20 corresponding when connected to the high speed transmission equipment HDL station 10.

The deposition module 394 of the data packets 391 does not initialize the transfer of the packets to the vehicles 20. These are the on-board caches 280 which detect the availability of the HDL high-speed point link and connect to the module. depot 394 and retrieve the data packet 391 intended for them.

The deposition module 394 of the data packets 391 is refreshed (updated) each time a new data packet 391 is constituted for an on-board cache server 280. The new data packet 391 replaces the data packet 391 previously stored for the same identified 280 embedded cache.

Referring now to Figure 8 which shows schematically the steps of routing a request from a user located in a vehicle 20. A prior authentication 900 is required. This authentication step 900 may have been performed upon entry into the transport space by the user, and then does not have to be renewed at the time of the formulation of its Internet request. The progress of this step 900 will be explained in more detail with reference to FIG.

The first step 910 corresponds to the formulation by the user of a request on his terminal 700. This request is transmitted to the on-board router 260 via the Wi-Fi access point 240 of the vehicle 20. In parallel, and without this constituting a step in the routing system, the user's request is transmitted to the knowledge module of the requests internal to the network 389 of the central cache 380, in order to be processed to improve the knowledge of the popularity of the requests by using either the permanent low-speed link PL or the point, additional and high-speed link HDL.

The second step 920 consists in analyzing the availability of the point, additional and high-speed link HDL by the on-board router 260, which then directs the request to the cache that is accessible. When the vehicle 20 is inter-station 30, only the low-speed permanent link PL is available, and the request is then directed to the on-board cache 280 of the vehicle board edge 25. When the vehicle 20 is stopped or substantially stationary at station 10 and the additional HDL high-speed point link is available, the request is then directed to the central cache 380 via said HDL link.

In the third step 930, the response to the request is sought in priority in the caches. If the response to the request is in the on-board cache 280, when the vehicle 20 is traveling in inter-station 30, or in the central cache 380, when the vehicle 20 has access via the HDL link, the response is then directly sent at the user's terminal 700. It is only when the request is too specific and the response is not part of the data stored in the embedded cache 280 or in the central cache 380 that the response is sought directly online on the Internet 800. This corresponds to the fourth step 940.

This fourth step 940 is optional, and is the only one to take place directly online ("on line" in English), while all the previous steps take place in offline access ("off-line" in English). . For this step, the user's terminal 700 connects to the Internet 800 via the central communication router 360 to which it accesses either via the low-speed permanent link PL when the vehicle 20 is inter-station 30, or via the additional link, point and high speed HDL when the vehicle 20 is connected to station 10.

Referring now to Figure 9 which shows schematically the steps of the routing of a request of a user located in station 10, namely in all other transport spaces other than a vehicle 20.

A prior authentication step 900 is necessary. This authentication step 900 may have already been done by the user, and does not have to be renewed at the time of the formulation of his Internet request.

The first step 915 corresponds to the formulation by the user of a request on his terminal 700. This request is transmitted to the central router 360 via the Wi-Fi access point 140 of the station 10. In parallel , and without this constituting a step in the routing system, the user's request is transmitted to the knowledge module of the requests internal to the network 389 of the central cache 380, in order to be processed to improve the knowledge of the popularity of the requests. .

The second step 950 is to search for the response to the query in the central cache 380. If the response to the query is in the central cache 380, the response is then sent directly to the terminal 700 of the user. It is only when the request is too specific and the response is not part of the data stored in the central cache 380 that the response is searched directly online on the Internet 800. This corresponds to the third step 960.

This third step 960 is optional, and is the only one to take place directly online (on-line), while all the previous steps take place offline (off-line). For this step, the user's terminal 700 connects to the Internet 800 through the central communication router 360. In parallel, and without this being a step of the routing system, the response to the query found on the Internet 800 is sent to the central cache 380 via the ground network 35. Sending the response to the central cache 380 allows the update of the content of the central cache in real time. The updating of the content of the cache in real time intervenes only for the central cache 380, and not for the embedded cache 280. The content of the latter is not refreshed in real time but exclusively via the additional point link and high-speed HDL at the station stop 10, depending on what has been deposited in the deposition module 394.

Reference is now made to Figure 10 which represents the authentication step of the user during his first connection to the Wi-Fi network of the transport space. The first authentication step 900 corresponds to the connection request from the terminal of a user 700 to a Wi-Fi network access terminal 140 located at station 10 or to an access terminal 240 on board a vehicle. 20. The identification information of the terminal 700 is transmitted to the controller 310. The controller 310 transmits a request to the authentication server 340 of the central system 300. The authentication server 340 or not validates the connection authorization on the base lists of existing profiles or having been blacklisted ("blacklisted" in English). The authentication server 340 sends the response to the controller 310, allowing or not the terminal 140 or 240 to accept the connection of the user terminal 700. Once performed, the authentication is maintained as the user terminal 700 is connected to a terminal 140 or 240, then a certain time (typically 5 to 30 minutes) after the 700 terminal is disconnected. This saves the user from having to reconnect too frequently and thus guarantee a better user experience. On the other hand, when the user leaves the transport space in a sustainable manner, he must re-authenticate the next time he enters the transport space.

We now refer to Figure 11 which shows schematically the operation of roaming ("roaming" in English) and the management of Wi-Fi kiosks for users. Once authenticated on the Wi-Fi network, the controller 310 assigns a terminal 140 or 240 to the user's terminal 700 based primarily on the power of the signal, and secondly, the maximum number of possible connections per terminal. The Wi-Fi access terminals 140 or 240 located near the user terminal 700 constantly analyze the power of the radio signal received by the user terminal 700, represented in FIG. 11 by the thickness of the line connecting the terminal 700 and each Wi-Fi access points 140 and 240.

The displacement of the user in the transport space is represented in FIG. 11 by three distinct positions of the terminal 700 at times h, β and t3. A specific case of displacement of the user with his terminal 700 is here represented by the movement within the station 10 and the boarding of a vehicle 20, which makes it possible to indicate the passage of the Wi-Fi ground network to the Wi-Fi edge network with addressing modification.

At time t1; the power of the radio signal received from the terminal 700 is highest for the base station 140-1, therefore the terminal 700 is attached to the base station 140i.

At time t2, the power of the radio signal received from the terminal 700 is the strongest for the access terminal 1403, accordingly the terminal 700 is attached to the access terminal 1403. The controller 310 gives the order then to the terminal 140i to release the connection with the user terminal 700 and the terminal 1403 now receiving the strongest radio signal to proceed to the connection of the user terminal 700.

At time t3, the power of the radio signal received from the terminal 700 is the strongest for the access terminal 240i. The controller 310 then instructs the terminal 1403 to release the connection with the user terminal 700 and the terminal 240i now receiving the strongest radio signal to proceed to the connection of the user terminal 700. In this case, with respect to from a passage from the ground network 35 to the on-board network 25, the terminal 240i distributes to the terminal 700 the new network address, which is assigned to it by the central system 300, in application of the known technique of dynamic allocation of network addresses. This change of network address is represented in FIG. 11 by the thickness of the contour of the user terminal 700 and terminal 240i at time t3. The same change of address principle will occur again during the transition from the network 25 to the ground network 35, at the time of the descent of the vehicle 20 by the user of the terminal 700.

The present invention has been described in a non-limiting manner for a case of application to a metro type transport network with a WiGig technology. It could be implemented for other equivalent applications and other similar wireless broadband technologies, such as all Wi-Fi technologies and Li-Fi technology.

Claims (12)

1) A system for routing an Internet request from a communication terminal (700) of a user traveling in a bus-like vehicle (20) traveling between a plurality of stop stations (10), characterized in that it comprises: a wireless communication network (35) implanted on the ground, intended for the users and equipped with a central communication router (360) implanted on the ground; an on-board wireless communication network (25) in the vehicle (20), intended for the users and equipped with an on-board communication router (260) in the vehicle (20); a plurality of connection points (120) distributed on the ground and a plurality of connection points (220) distributed in the vehicle (20) and each capable of establishing a low-speed permanent link (PL) between the communication network without wire edge (25) and the ground wireless communication network (35); at least one on-board communication unit (230) in the vehicle (20) and at least one communication unit (160) distributed by station platform (10) and able to establish an additional point link with each other high bit rate (HDL) between the wireless edge communication network (25) and the ground wireless communication network (35); at least one central cache server (380) on the ground and at least one on-board cache server (280) in the vehicle (20); and in that, depending on the timing of the sending of the request, the on-board wireless communication router (260) transmits the request according to the following routing rules: if the only permanent wireless link is available low-speed (PL) link established between the wireless edge communication network (25) and the ground wireless communication network (35), the on-board wireless communication router (260) transmits the request to the on-board cache server (280). ) in the vehicle (20) to serve the response to the request if it is available, and in case of non-availability of the response, the on-board router (260) is able to fetch the answer to the request directly on the Internet (800). ) via the low-speed permanent (PL) wireless link and the ground-based central communication router (360), or o the availability of the additional high-speed (HDL) point-to-point wireless link between the wireless communication network edge (25) and the ground wireless communication network (35), the on-board communication router (260) transmits the request to the central cache server (380) implanted on the ground via the additional high-speed point-to-point (HDL) wireless link established between the network wireless communication board (25) and the ground wireless communication network (35) to serve the response to the request if it is available in the central cache server (380) on the ground, and in case of unavailability of the response, the on-board communication router (260) is able to fetch the response to the request directly from the Internet (800) via the additional high-speed point-to-point wireless link (HDL) and the central communication router (360) on the ground . 2) A routing system according to claim 1, characterized in that the additional high-speed point-to-point wireless link (HDL) is established automatically between the edge wireless communication network (25) and the ground wireless communication network (35). ) when said vehicle (20) is at stationary stop (10) or substantially stopped. 3) A routing system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises a central controller (310) implanted on the ground and responsible for analyzing the mobility of the user in the transport space and in that said central controller (310) is clean when the user is mounted or lowered in the vehicle (20) to connect the user terminal (700) to the appropriate wireless communication network (25, 35). ) to maintain a permanent wireless connection and without altering the user experience. 4) Routing system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises an authentication system (310, 900) from which the user terminal (700) connects and authenticates one or more times according to its presence, frequentation or use of the transport space. 5) A routing system according to claim 4, characterized in that it further comprises a separate address distribution mechanism of the user terminal (700) according to the connection points (140, 240) on which it is hooked. 6) Routing system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises a processing module (383) of the content of the central cache server (380) comprising: o an Internet data analysis algorithm (397) continuously analyzing and labeling Internet data (381) belonging to the group formed by external elements / information (386) to the transport system, social networks (382), predefined web sites (384), contents VOD (388), according to their popularity (385); and o an update engine (399) of the contents of the central cache server (380) according to the result of the analysis algorithm (397). 7) Routing system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the onboard cache server (280) is updated when the vehicle (20) is stationary stop (10) or substantially at the 'stop. 8) Routing system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the onboard cache server (280) of each vehicle (20) in circulation is updated independently of other vehicles (20) circulating in the transport space. 9) Routing system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises a mechanism for refreshing (390) a part of the embedded cache server contents (280) comprising: o a package module (392) data for generating a succession of data packets (391) at the rate of vehicle traffic (20), said data packets (391) containing data for refreshing a portion of the contents of the cache server embedded (280) at the next stop of the vehicle (20) at the station (10), the data packets (391) being produced according to at least one criterion belonging to the group formed by elements / information relating to the transport system (396) , and the current state of the on-board cache (395), and o a deposition module (394) for receiving the data packets (391) thus produced and making them available to the on-board cache server (280) when the vehicle (20) is stationary or substantially stationary (10) via the additional high speed point link (HLD). 10) A routing system according to claim 9, characterized in that the package module (392) data refresh mechanism (390) of a portion of the embedded cache server content (280) is able to enrich the content of data packets (391) from the user data (398). 11) Method for routing Internet requests from user terminals traveling in a bus-like vehicle (20) traveling between a plurality of stop stations (10) implemented by the system according to any one of claims 1 to 10 . 12) Computer program product stored on storage means and comprising a downloadable instruction set in the memory of a computer, characterized in that, when said instruction set is executed on said computer, the program product of computer implements the method of claim 11.